I found this Recipe for lemon cheese cake. It says to wrap the springform pan with heavy alluminum foil and put it in a shallow roasting pan, then add water so the water is halfway up the springform pan. Bake 325ºF for 60 to 70 min. I have tried this twice. Both times I have check to make sure there is no hole in the foil and both times it appears that water has leaked into the area between the springform pan and the foil. The second time I removed the pan from the water bath and continued to cook the cake until done. It seemed to cook ok after that. Please can anyone give me a tip on what I might be doing wrong or what I can do differently. I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't bother with the waterbath. Thanks for your suggestions

I don't know what the problem can be if you are wrapping the springform pan with heavy aluminum foil and it is still leaking but at least it sounds like it's not leaking onto your oven, which could be a problem. Using the foil helps keep the batter from leaking into the water bath or if not using a water bath, then not leaking into your oven. Is your cheescake okay when you've used the foil wrapping or is it messy? The whole idea of using foil is to prevent leaking onto the pan or oven. It keeps the batter from getting on these things. Any springform pan or pan with a removable bottom will probably leak some.

You can definitely bake the cheesecake without the water bath, but it does tend to bake the cake more evenly and prevent the cheesecake from being undone, as it also helps bake it more "gently".

Good luck and maybe members of this forum will have some other ideas for you.

Thank you for your response. I question the cook time. I have an oven thermomater which confirms the temp. But, 60 ot 70 min. doesn't seem quite right. The recpie calls for 6 TBSP of unsalted butter for the crust. When I look at this liquid I wonder if it is the butter seperating? Maybe I should leave it in the water bath and leave it in the oven longer. What do you think about that idea. Please let me know what you think about that idea. Thank you

When I bake my cheeecakes I put the springform on a cookie sheet. I make my bath by using a rectangle disposable roasting pan. I fill halfway with water. Put the roasting pan on the lowest rack in while you pre-heat. On middle rack put cheesecake. It becomes so moist that you won't have any cracks as long as you cool with the oven door open. Hope this helps.